Paul Sierpinski, assistant NASA Recovery Director, poses for a portrait onboard USS John P. Murtha, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Test Director (NTD) Christine St. Germain consults with fellow NTD Paul Sierpinski on day 2 of Underway Recovery Test 9 (URT-9) aboard the USS John P. Murtha. During the weeklong test, NASA’s Landing and Recovery team is performing their final mission certification ahead of Artemis I.

From left to right, Dmitriy Bank, NASA test director, and Paul Sierpinski, Artemis assistant landing and recovery director, participate in the Artemis III terminal countdown simulation on Thursday, May 7, 2026, inside Firing Room 1 of the Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This marked the first simulation the launch team performed ahead of Artemis III.